A number of one-piece, two-piece (a solid resilient center or core with a molded cover), and multi-layer (liquid or solid center and multiple mantle and/or cover layers) golf balls have been produced. Different types of materials and/or processing parameters have been utilized to formulate the cores, mantles, covers, etc. of these balls, which dramatically alter the balls' overall characteristics.
For certain applications it is desirable to produce a golf ball having a very thin cover layer. However, due to equipment limitations, it is often very difficult to mold a thin cover. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a technique for producing a relatively thin outer cover layer.
Moreover, retractable pins have been utilized to hold, or center, the core or core and mantle and/or cover layer(s) in place while molding an outer cover layer (or potentially other layers) thereon. These pins are retracted during the latter stages of the molding process with the still somewhat fluid cover or mantle material filling the void left by the pins.
The retractable pins, however, sometimes produce centering difficulties and cosmetic problems (i.e. pin flash, pin marks, etc.) in the lands or dimples during retraction, which in turn require additional handling to produce a golf ball suitable for use and sale. Additionally, the lower the viscosity of the mantle and/or cover materials, the greater the tendency for the retractable pins to stick due to material accumulation, making it necessary to shut down and clean the molds routinely. Furthermore, the pins also produce a “cold weld” when their voids are filled during molding. This is deleterious to durability as the cover may fail by cracking through the filled pin voids after many hits.
Accordingly, it would also be desirable to provide a method for forming a thin outer cover layer or intermediate layer on a golf ball without the use of retractable pins.